Ajinkya Rahane is back. The Indian squad for the WTC final was announced and the biggest surprise for the Indian fans was the return of Ajinkya Rahane to the squad. Australia announced their squad for the World Test Championship final last week and it was India who announced their team this week. There are not many changes or significant picks apart from the return of India’s former vice-captain and the batting maestro from Mumbai, Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane has been rewarded for his decent performances in the Ranji Trophy and for his elite performances in the IPL here is a look:
Ajinkya Rahane Returns for the WTC Final:
Ajinkya Rahane is living the dream. He has made a comeback to the national team post a 15-month break. He was doing decently well in the Ranji Trophy this year but his exploits in the TATA IPL 2023 earned him a big national comeback. He is currently doing wonders for the Chennai Super Kings while batting at number 3. In the 5 matches that he has played, he has amassed 209 runs at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 199.
It is not pure slogging, but it is the elegance of Rahane. He has managed to impress the selectors in a limited time span and has earned a national comeback. His 71 of 29 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders was one of his all-time best IPL knocks. The experienced pro will be playing at the number 5 position. In Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer’s absence, Rahane’s presence will add immense value to the team.
Fans Not Pleased with Ajinkya Rahane’s Selection:
The True Indian cricket fans are not impressed with Rahane’s selection. They have criticized the Chetan Sharma-led BCCI selection committee for its short-term choice to pick Rahane. The other names in contention for the position were of Sarfaraz Khan and Arpit Vasavada. Sarfaraz Khan has been scoring a mountain of runs. In the 36 games that he has played, he has an average of 80.7. This is the second-highest average in first-class cricket after Sir Don Bradman’s record of 99.04.
Many fans shared this grief of the rejection of Sarfaraz Khan on Twitter. They were dejected by Rahane getting picked ahead of Sarfaraz Khan. Most of them commented, “Ranji Trophy performances have no value in front of the IPL”. Harsha Bhogle, however, was not very surprised with the selection of Rahane. He tweeted regarding the same.
India’s Squad for the WTC Final:
Rohit Sharma(C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat(WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat.
Australia’s Squad for the WTC Final:
Pat Cummins(C), David Warner, Alex Carey(Wk), Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Josh Hazelwood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschangne, Scott Boland, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Starc.
To know more, visit Delhi Capitals: 5 Consecutive Defeats in TATA IPL 2023. What has Gone Wrong?
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To know more go to the official page of the Indian Cricket Team.
